Stephen Colbert's satirical routine as a
conservative commentator on "The Colbert Report" leaves millions of his
fans laughing every night, but the comedian failed to amuse lawmakers
Friday during a House panel hearing on farm jobs and illegal immigrants.

The Comedy Central star stayed in character
during testimony as he made light of his experience working for one day
as a migrant laborer on a vegetable farm in New York.

"America's farms are presently far too
dependent on immigrant labor to pick our fruits and vegetables," Colbert
said. "Now the obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables, and if you look at the recent obesity statistics, you'll see that many Americans have already started."

While some audience members laughed, most of the members of the House Judiciary subcommittee barely cracked a smile.

"This is America," Colbert continued. "I
don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an
American, then sliced by a Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."